Memories
by Kupo-Maniac
Summary: We were best friends." I've figured that throughout this crazy life, the worse thing to do is to forget.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Wish me luck. This is the first fanfic I've uploaded. UPLOADED, not written. Anyway, enjoy. **

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It was strange. You would never expect much from a small life on a simple place. Yet, there was always something calling me and telling me that there was a life beyond this small world. I had always known as if something, something wonderful, was calling me to go beyond my ordinary life. I always felt it, and always tried to touch it. I knew it was in my grasp. I just had to have enough courage to grab it.

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The shrill bell rang throughout the school, signifying the end of 1st period. As the class began to gather their bags and eagerly walk to 2nd, I was still sitting in my desk, my mind elsewhere. This happened often. My mind would travel through the abyss of my imagination, and I would become completely entombed in fairytale-like bliss. This time was usually cut short, though, like now.

"Nami . . . Nami?" I found myself being poked over and over by a mass of red and pink. Though I acknowledged it, I didn't pay attention.

"Naaaaaaaaaamiiiiiiii-" I clamped my hand over the source of the noise.

"I hear you, Kairi," I replied.

Kairi beamed and grabbed my hand, giggling ferociously.

"C'mon! There's something I wanna show you!" She tugged me and successfully managed to drag me out of the classroom. She was still giggling as she raced down the hall, handling me like a knapsack. She must be hyper. Typical Kairi.

It wasn't that I disliked Kairi. It was the exact opposite. I was just never used to the bubbly aura she gave off. I was used to hiding in the shadows, drawing in my sketchbook. She was always chatting with random strangers and best friends. It was obvious that we were complete opposites. Yet, somehow, we were inseparable.

"Kai! What was it you wanted to show me?" I managed to yell over the blasting conversations that flooded the halls. Kairi began talking a mile a minute.

"There's this really cool new kid in our class, and he looks really cute and smart! You gotta see him, Nami! I wonder if you'll like him . . ."

New kid? Who cared? Unlike the other ninety-nine percent of the kids in this school, I could care less who or what walked into this poor excuse for a learning institution. And cute? Kairi's definition of "cute" meant bubbly and boyish. That was probably why she liked Sora so much. And just because he looked smart didn't mean he was. He was probably another one of those jerky sport-freaks. There couldn't be anything special about him, not in a place like this, right?

Kairi almost literally skidded to a stop. Without even panting, she jerked me beside her and pointed. It took me a small second to get it together. My eyes scanned the loud room. Everyone looked familiar. I saw Yuffie, Selphie, Rikku, Olette and Hayner . . .

My eyes stopped right there.

I am definitely not the most romantic person, hence my lack of dating experience, but I could swear that when I saw him, my heart stopped.

Kairi was right. He was cute. Hot, even. I couldn't even stop my eyes from tracing over his slim figure up to his porcelain skin and his golden locks that were spiked here and there. He had a distant, intelligent look on his face, as if he wasn't even paying attention to the world around him. And the way he was casually moving about, it looked as if he'd been in the class the entire semester. When his eyes nearly caught the mine, my heart fluttered.

"Namine," Kairi begin snickering. I figured out what she was laughing at. I was blushing. I snapped back to reality as the final bell rang. I turned to Kairi and nudged her arm as we departed for our seats. Before I sat down, I noticed something that set my heart off again. I was sitting right next to the new guy. I found that it was impossible for me to move my legs. And if that wasn't bad enough, my whole body felt like Jell-O once the new guy looked directly at me.

"Relax, I'm not gonna bite," he said with a laugh. My face was frozen. Even his voice was hot. When his face started to look concerned, I just nodded numbly and sat down. Even though the talking was at an all time high, I felt like everything was silent and all eyes were on me. The talking ceased once Miss Gainsborough entered the room.

"Ohayo, Minna-san!" She always insisted on greeting us in Japanese. It made sense. After all, this was the Japanese class.

Miss Gainsborough brought out her chalk and began scribbling Kanji characters on the board, and I found myself drifting off again. This time I was thinking of a white fairy, tall, statuesque, and beautiful, soaring through the glimmering skies. It sounds silly, I know. But if someone could just see the way I saw these things, it would seem so blissful. If someone could see those things I thought, see inside me. I wanted that more than anything.

For the second time today, my dreams were interrupted. I was starting to get pissed. But when I turned to glare at the person responsible for nudging me, I froze again. It was the new kid with a slip of paper between his index and his middle finger. It took me a little bit to actually consider that the slip might be for me. I hesitantly took the paper and delicately unfolded it so that Miss Gainsborough didn't see. On the inside were scribbles that read:

**My name's Roxas. Don't worry. I already know your name. So, what's up?**

I found myself getting butterflies. Exactly what did this guy mean buy what's up? I didn't want to be rude, especially not to someone like him, so I scribbled something back:

_Wow. Am I that popular? Just kidding. Just asking, why'd you choose me_

_to talk to? Y'know there's a really hot cheerleader over there._

I passed it to him. As he read it, I heard him laugh lightly. I was starting to love that laugh. He wrote another part down and quickly passed it back. This time, it read:

**What? Do I look like I'd be interested in a preppy blonde like that? And what's**

**with saying she's hot. You bi?**

I sniggered. I wrote down:

_I dunno. Most guys seem cool, but they turn out to be jerks. And no, I'm not bi._

_A person could really get offended by an accusation like that._

I passed the note to him. He wrote down again and passed the note back to me:

**Sorry. Guess I'm too outspoken. Maybe I'm not like those other guys. Ever think**

**about that?**

This guy really was different. Maybe Kairi was right. This could be interesting. I wrote back:

_You never answered my question. Why did you write to me?_

I passed the note to him. He stared at it for a few seconds, like he was drifting away. After a few moments, he wrote back and slipped the note to me. This time it read:

**I can't really explain it. You just seem really interesting to me, like you're the**

**only one I think about.**

"Like you're the only one I think about"? We'd barely known each other for five minutes and he was already saying things like that? What was with him? When I had thought he might be different, I didn't mean this different.

Feeling a light tinge of pink on my cheeks, I ducked my head so that Roxas wouldn't see. I hastily scribbled back to him:

_What's that supposed to mean? It sounded like you're in love with me._

Again, he took a long while to answer. When he finally did, the bell rang, ending 2nd period. Miss Gainsborough waved everyone goodbye and cleaned off her board. Thank God the woman never gave much homework.

When I stopped at my locker, I took the chance to unfold the note to see what Roxas had replied to my statement. Now that I thought about it, I regretted writing that down. Once I opened the note and read his reply, I think my heart really did stop:

**Maybe I am. Maybe I'm not. Who's to say? Guess you'll have to find out**

**for yourself.**

I leaned against the locker, slumping in confusion. Maybe he was in love with me?! What the hell did he mean by that?! He had to have been kidding. There was no such thing as love at first sight. We had only known each other for an hour!

It seemed that I would have to deal with this in 3rd period and for the rest of the day as well. I ran to my next class before I came in tardy.

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After the final bell of the day swept through the school, everyone burst out of the classrooms, happy to be out of their academic cage. I was glad, but I remained among the lesser people and walked to my locker. As I approached it, I noticed a familiar figure leaning against it. Just how many times would my heart betray me?

Roxas turned towards me, and with his hand he beckoned me over. I was too freaked out to move. First this guy knows my name after being here one day, and now he tracks down my locker? What was he, a stalker?

I finally reached the locker and opened it. I didn't even look at Roxas as I put my books in.

"I take it by your reaction that you read my reply in that note."

I remained silent. I tried to focus on tonight's homework instead. First there was that assignment from the math textbook. Pages twenty-four through twenty-six, I think. Then there was my Health assignment . . .

Looks like I wasn't getting out of it that easy. I could feel Roxas slam my locker door with one hand and grab my arm with the other. I was starting to feel a little frightened.

"You can't run away from something like this, Namine. Sooner or later, we're gonna have to talk about this."

My face took on a bewildered look, and I retorted back.

"What's there to talk about? Some guy just randomly shows up and on the first day, writes a note to a girl he barely knows saying "I think I'm in love with you" and pretends like it was nothing weird-"

"I never said that. I said maybe I am in love with you and maybe I'm not. I left that for you to figure out," Roxas said immediately.

"Why?! I barely even know you! Were you just so bored on the first day that you decided to play with someone's feelings?!"

"I wasn't playing anything. I wanted to see if it would work."

"If what would work?!"

Roxas's grip loosened, and he looked at me with a hint of sadness.

"You really don't remember, do you?"

I began to calm down. After taking a deep breath, I responded, "Remember what?"

Now both of Roxas's hands were gripping me, and the frightened feeling began to flood through my body. Roxas looked straight at me as if he were trying to pierce through my soul.

"I'm Roxas. You and I grew up together. We lived on Destiny Islands and played together every day. We were best friends . . ."

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**A/N: And there you have it. sadly, the next chapter might not come up for awhile. Don't worry, though. I like this story too much to quit it. Please, I beg of you, no flames. Constructive criticism is welcome, though.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Well, here it is. Sorry it took so long. I just had to have the guts to actually put it up. Enjoy!**

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"_Look! The stars are so pretty tonight! Don't you think?" the girl said, eyes glowing with excitement as she stared into the sparkling night sky. She began to spread her arms about the luscious grass as she waited for a reply. However, the boy beside her seemed too pensive to answer._

_"Hey! Don't ignore me!" she shouted after a few minutes, colliding her hand with the back of her companion's head. The boy glowered in response._

_"But it's too much fun to ignore you."_

_The girl 'humphed' in response. Looking back at the sky, a content smile spread across her face. After a moment of silence, she spoke up._

_"But don't you think they're beautiful? It's amazing to think that we have something like this to look at!" The boy sighed dishearteningly. His boredom was all but apparent._

_"I've never understood the big deal about 'em. They're made of gas, y'know," he responded, which earned another disgusted response from the little girl, this time sticking her tongue out._

_"You're so boring! Man, you can be such a tick-off . . . "_

_More silence._

_Another sweet smile._

_"But y'know, I was told that a new star appears every time a person dies, that it's part of their soul, sparkling and watching over those they care about."_

_A surprised reaction came from the boy. His eyes remained upon the young girl, who still had her gaze fixed upon the stars, then immediately traveled to the green grass as he clutched it furiously. Wanting so badly to say something, he hesitantly let his mind speak._

_"D-do you . . . think my mom's up there?"_

_The little girl looked at her partner with sudden amazement. Once seeing her expression, the boy dipped his head in embarrassment, mumbling an apology._

_"You idiot . . ."_

_There was more hesitance in her voice._

_"Of course she's up there."_

_The little boy perked his head up and continued to stare at the girl in the same amazement. _

_"However, she must be so disappointed to have such an obnoxious son!" she said with a teasing laugh. Before she knew it, the boy had caught her head in between his arms, rubbing her head furiously._

_"H-hey! Stop it!"_

_"That obnoxious enough for you?" the boy replied. Once he released his grip, the girl scooted away, carefully fixing her golden locks. _

_"You're so mean!"_

_Only a tongue protruding from his mouth came from the boy. Soon, they both turned their attention back towards the night sky. _

_"I'd love to draw them, or something," the girl said dreamily. _

_"Why don't you? You're really good at it."_

_"Thanks. It's my dream to be an artist one day."_

_The boy took her hand lovingly, and smiled._

_"I believe you can do it. You're amazing, y'know . . ."_

_The girl smiled contently, grasping the boy's hand._

_"Thanks. You're pretty cool, too . . . Now let go of my hand, yours' is all sweaty."_

_The boy complied, sighing._

_"Whatever."_

_They began laughing, and all the stars in the sky began to sparkle invincibly._

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"Namine! Supper's ready!"

I moaned in response to my mother's call and tried to get myself off my bed. Key word, **TRIED**. After a minute of dawdling, Mom's call became an order.

"Namine! Downstairs! Now!"

I moaned louder. But, if I didn't get out of my daze now, I would probably be in it for the rest of my life. I dragged my body out of bed and proceeded sluggishly down the stairs towards the dining room. I plopped my body into the chair and stared at the small cracks in the wooden table, ignoring the plate of food in front of me. Hunger wasn't the most important thing right now. My mom must have noticed this, as well. When I looked up, I could see obvious worry on her face.

"It's unusual for you to not eat. Did something happen at school today?" she asked out of the blue. I looked up at her in surprise. Of course I couldn't tell her what really happened. How could I? Knowing her, she'd call the police to send Roxas off to the whacky shack and keep me in solitary confinement for the rest of my teenage life.

"It's fine. I'm just no very hungry right now. School lunches have that effect . . ." I stuttered out before any more ideas could pop into her head. I took the fork and began twisting it around in the food as I tried to distract myself in any way. However, today was just impossible to get out of my mind . . .

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_My heart was frozen, and my feet were glued to the floor. It felt like the whole world had stopped, and this was the only thing that had ever mattered. What had he just said? It seemed impossible to get it through my head. Roxas was still glaring intently at me, as if his eyes would cut right through me. As calm as I tried to make my voice, the fear in it was evident._

"_E-excuse me?"_

_Roxas's expression did not soften._

"_We were best friends. We always did everything together. You and I were inseparable. Until that accident . . ."_

_My body jolted at that._

_How could he know about that?! The accident that happened seven years ago? The one that erased every memory of my life? It was impossible! For him to know something like that was . . ._

_Just who was this guy?!_

"_You're scaring me . . . Let go," when Roxas didn't comply, I tried to tugged my arm away from his grip. That was also unsuccessful. _

"_Namine, please try to remember. I know you want nothing more than to figure out what happened on that day. Please, please try to remember me and everything else."_

_Now the fear had been washed away, and nothing but complete rage was in me. I raised my hand slowly as to touch Roxas, but in an instant brought it upon his cheek, sending a loud 'smack' through the halls._

"_You . . . You bastard! Playing with someone's feelings like that is horrible! What the hell do you want with me?!" _

_Roxas stared back with complete shock on his face, his hands finally releasing me. I took the advantage to run._

"_Don't ever speak to me again! Just stay away from me!"_

_I left Roxas standing there, bewildered as I ran from him, and as it seemed, my past . . ._

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As hard as I tried to get it out of my mind, I couldn't. But, things like that happen, don't they? People play pranks on each other, no matter how mean, right? But something just seemed too odd about it. Desperate to change topic, I asked my mom what else was on my mind.

"Hey, have you ever had dreams that feel so real that you think they might have actually happened?"

Mom looked up in complete astonishment. She could have possibly been thinking I was joking, but after seeing the look on my face, she knew I was serious.

"Dreams? Like what?"

I took my fork and continued to twirl it.

"I can't really give any specifics. They're different every time. But . . . they just feel so real. And after my accident, I wonder . . ."

Mom's hand suddenly slammed onto the table. I had forgotten how much she detested anyone mentioning it. Way to step on a landmine, Namine. I looked away, averting her gaze.

"Sorry. I know you hate talking about it . . ."

An awkward silence followed for the rest of the meal. While cleaning our plates, I tried to make Mom forget about what I said.

"Mom? Do we have any pastels? I ran out, and I've been wanting to start painting again."

I was glad to see my Mom smile at that. She pointed her index finger to the room at the end of the hall.

"They're in the studio. Just be careful. I haven't cleaned it in a while."

I nodded and walked down the hall and into my father's old room. Being here always made me feel nostalgic. It reminded me of how my dad and I used to play and paint in here, not coming out for hours unless Mom forced us out. It had been so lively then. But ever since Dad's death, we had stayed away from it, the memories too strong for us to bear. And it was obvious, by the dust that had crept on the furniture.

I found a box of art supplies and heaved down onto the floor. While looking through the old paints and canvases, I noticed another box beside it titled "SPECIAL PHOTOS". The curiosity being too strong for me to resist, I pushed aside the art box and opened up the other one, looking through its contents carefully. A certain few photos of my family caught my attention. I scanned each photo, smiling happily as I recalled the times my parents and I were truly happy. Near the end of the stack, a small photo slipped from the pile and flittered to the floor. I picked up and looked at it. Once I did, I couldn't believe what I saw.

It was me, playing in the sand with another kid, smiling and giggling. The other kid has his tongue stuck out because of a pile of sand I had poured on his head. But at the same time, it was obvious we were having so much fun. However, that wasn't what surprised me.

The little boy looked exactly like Roxas.

I sat there, frozen stiff with disbelief. How was this possible? There was no way it was Roxas. The guy had just shown up in my life, and I had only known him for a day. It was impossible!

Yet, it was unmistakable. The honey-colored hair, the light skin, the blue eyes all belonged to the same person. Yet, I still didn't want to believe it.

However, the photograph in my hands told me otherwise.

If Roxas really was telling the truth, then what else could he be right about? Was it possible that he could know things about me that I didn't? Could he know all of the memories I had searched for the past seven years?

Could he know what really happened to me?

All this was too much to take in one night. I knew I'd have to think about it more tomorrow. After placing the boxes back exactly as I had found them, I left to my room, the photo in my hand, to sleep on all of this.

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The next day, I looked around for any sign of Roxas. There was none. Even in class, there was no trace of him. Was he avoiding me? Confused, I waited until the final bell to search some more. When it finally rang, I was sure I wouldn't see Roxas. I sighed in defeat, trudging to my locker. However, it seemed I had given up too easily. Roxas stood in front of my locker, the same exact way he had the day before. As much as I wanted to run and never have to look at his face again, the want to know the truth was much more important. I casually strolled up to him and prepared for a verbal attack. After a minute of intimidating silence, I decided to start it off.

"Look. I know I may have overreacted the other day, but I couldn't do anything else. What am I supposed to do when a guy suddenly comes up to me and claims he knows me and that I was close to him?"

Roxas looked at me pensively for a few moments. I was starting to think this guy was major stalker material. He sighed, disappointingly. Seeing this was going nowhere, I brought out the one thing that was sure to bring it somewhere.

"Do you recognize this?" I asked, putting the photo in front of Roxas's face. His eyes widened noticeably. He took the photo in his hands and studied it with a small smile. He looked back at me.

"I wasn't lying to you, y'know. I want to find out everything, too. And I'm sorry if I was too upfront."

_If? _I thought. What did he think? I knew he was telling the truth, though.

"Listen. I'm not saying I totally trust you. You made sure of that. But it's obvious we both want to know the truth about what really happened."

Roxas's eyes were piercing me again.

"There's only one way to do that."

He stuck his hand out, asking for mine as well. I was hesitant, but I knew what had to be done. I took his hand, and we shook.

"I know."

This is were the journey began.

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**A/N: For future warning, I may be updating even slower because now I have an actual job. More of volunteer work, really. Which means I don't get paid. Bleh. The chapters may seem to be short and uneventful, but I'm trying my best, really. Just bear with it, please. It also doesn't help that it's a heck of a piss off to upload chapters. Drop a review, please!**


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